Miscommunication
by Haunted Harlequin
Summary: When Alec and Magus fight, who will help them patch things up ?
1. Fighting

**Ok, this is just a little plot bunny that's been hanging around for a while. It's set after City of Ashes, just imagine that Magnus and Alec haven't gone on their travels yet :) Enjoy ! xx**

**Summary: **_When Alec and Magnus fight, who can help them patch things up?_

**Disclaimer: **_Don't own Mortal instruments, or there would be a __lot__ more malec-y goodness :)_

Hidden in the deep shadows of the institute's library, tears dripped silently from Alec's bloodshot eyes. He couldn't take it anymore. This was the fourth fight he and Magus had had this week, and it was only Tuesday!

Why couldn't things go back to the way things were before Valentine had ruined everything. Then Max would still be alive, Alec would still be a closet gay in love with his parabatai, and Magnus would never have entered their lives.

No.

However bad he felt now, Alec knew it would be a thousand times worse without the sparkly warlock in his life.

* * *

><p>His make up was horrendously smudged and his usually impeccable sense of style was reduced to dull grey sweats and one of Alec's ratty brown jumpers.<p>

How was it that he, the great Magus Bane, High Warlock of Brooklyn, could be so reduced by a mere mortal . . . a teenage _shadowhunter, _of all things!

But even as he attempted to mentally ridicule Alexander, he found himself incapable of any thought or emotion besides the gut wrenching self loathing he was consumed by.

It was all his fault really. That afternoon he'd had a string of annoying, arrogant clients and all the while, through all the whining and demanding and crying, all he had wanted to do was call Alec, have him come over, and curl up in his arms, staring into those vivid baby blues.

And then when Alec _had _come home (he'd admitted to Magnus a few weeks ago that when someone said home, it wasn't the institute that Alec thought of, despite the fact that he rarely risked Maryse's wrath by staying for the whole night), all he had done was moan about how Jace had talked about nothing but Clary for their entire sparring session.

Then Magnus had countered with '_at least Jace is comfortable showing his love to the world_' and it had all gone downhill from there. The truth was that Magnus couldn't stand hearing Alec talk about Jace, which he did. Often. It scared Magnus, not knowing if Alec was entirely over Jace, and his greatest fear in the world was that Alec would realize how much better he would be without Magnus and walk out of his life for good, like so many had before.

Magnus sucked in a huge breath, filling his lungs with Alec's unique scent. He couldn't go on like this, wishing and hoping that things were different, he had to do something.

He lifted his eyes, scanning the room for his phone, but he only saw Chairman Meow sitting on the top of the TV, watching him unblinkingly, as he had been for the last 20 minutes. Come to think of it, Magnus didn't think he'd ever seen Chairman Meow blink.

Just then, right on cue, the hamster-cat lazily closed his emerald eyes, and Magus was sure he could see the smirk lurking just behind them.

He would never understand that cat.

**So whaddaya think? This is at most a 3 or 4 shot story, but I would LOVE LOVE LOVE some feedback :) please? Thank-you, you are awesome. I will reply to any reviews in the next chapter.**

**Harlequin x **


	2. Crying

**Second chapter in record time! ( takes bow ) Not much to say now . . . OK then, have at!**

Alec had always retreated to the library when things got too bad for him to handle on his own. Since he was a little boy he had found solace in the weight of the knowledge and history contained within the immeasurable number of books. Jace had laughed at him when he tried to explain it, a typical 'guy' like Jace sorted out his problems by finding something to punch.

But Magnus understood.

Magnus always understood.

But Alec had never expected them to last this long. He kept wondering when Magus would come to his senses and leave him - the charismatic warlock could have anyone he wanted, why did he stay with a pale, too-skinny, _damaged _shadowhunter? Alec had yet to get through a whole week without sneaking off to the library and breaking down into tears. It was pathetic he knew, Shadowhunters should be strong, but every time he tried to convince himself of this, all he could see was the fear in Max's eyes, the last time he had seen him.

And as if all that wasn't enough, Alec was _mortal. _Even if Magnus did want to stay with him, which Alec still found highly unlikely, he would eventually move on and forget him.

The thought of Magnus with anyone else killed Alec. Really tore his heart out and ripped it to shreds. But he'd never told Magus that, he had never shown him this side of himself.

Why was that, Alec wondered.

He was still scared of looking vulnerable, scared that Magnus would hurt him. That was the reason they were fighting so much, Alec still didn't trust Magnus, well he did, but after being emotionally isolated for so long, he found it very hard to trust anyone.

Suddenly a shadow flickered in the silence of the library. Alec tensed, the last thing he needed was for someone to find him like this. After many tense seconds, heartbeats thundering in his ears, a very familiar hamster-cat trotted around the nearest bookcase.

"Hey Chairman" breathed Alec in relief "what are you doing here?" Unsurprisingly, Chairman Meow didn't respond, instead he simply leaned his head into Alec's hand and purred contentedly. Alec chuckled despondently through his tears, at least _someone _was happy.

The cat stared up into Alec's watery eyes with eyes so expressive that Alec could almost see pity hiding in their depths. After several seconds of locked gazes, the white cat turned tail and walked smartly behind the closest shelves.

Strange.

Alec got up off the floor rubbing his eyes, unexpectedly tired, to follow Chairman, having nothing much better to do. Rounding the corner, he was stunned to see . . .

just a blank wall. It was a dead end . . . and there was no cat.

* * *

><p><p>

Completely bewildered, Alec scanned the murky floor at his feet . . . no . . . no cat. He didn't think he'd see the cat slip past him, so where was Chairman Meow?

Behind him, someone coughed daintily.

Whirling around, Alec stared at the unfamiliar man standing in the entrance to the short corridor.

**Ooooh I'm mean . . . **

**But what did you think? Please tell me!**

**And those incredible people who had already reviewed - this is for you . . . **

**DisturbingEmily - **I am glad :) Do you like this bit ? I'm a little worried that I've made Alec a bit too pathetic, but he is grieving for his brother still so . . . ( shrugs )

**mbrattoo - **I'm so happy you think so! was this fast enough for you? Is it still interesting ? =]

**Bookworm24601 -** Thankyou Thankyou Thankyou Thankyou ! ! ! ! It did have a dividing line in the original file, must have been lost somewhere in the ethernet ( shrugs ) Any mistake I should know about in this chapter ? ( and I've replaced the file now so WELL DONE! you have saved others from bewilderment and confusion with your honesty! ) =] Let me know what you think now, k?

**And if you feel jealous of these awesome, incredible, fantasmagorrical people then you know what you need to do! REVIEW! **

**This is **_**Haunted Harlequin**_** signing out.**

**x :) x**


	3. Revealing

**Slightly longer gap this time, but not much longer :) Please review, it makes my day sooo much brighter ( which is good because the weather here is really horrible at the moment ) Enjoy, my lovely chipmunk darlings xxxx**

_Behind him, someone coughed daintily. _

_Whirling around, Alec stared at the unfamiliar man standing in the entrance to the short corridor. _

. . . . .

"Umm..." stuttered Alec, completely thrown.

"Eloquent as ever," smirked the oddly familiar stranger, completely relaxed. "What? Don't you recognise me?" he accused Alec, widening his emerald green eyes at him.

Those eyes . . . that colour . . .

"Oh my GOD!" realised Alec (it seemed that Izzy and her relentless mundie pop culture references were unfortunately rubbing off on him). "Chairman ?" he whispered through his hands.

"There it is" smiled the hamster-cat-man, his voice oddly similar to Magnus' lazy drawl.

"But . . . How?" spluttered Alec, still speechless.

"Uhhh, magic cat? Lived with a crazy warlock for centuries? What do you think? All that random magic he does? It's got to go somewhere hasn't it? That's what you Shadowhunters don't understand about magic - it's not just a tool he happens to have at his disposal, like your stele . . . magic is a living force . . . mundies might call it his soul. And all that energy has to go somewhere, and in this case, it went into me."

"Does he know?" asked Alec, a million other questions bubbling at the tip of his tongue.

"No. I haven't really gotten around to telling him yet" mumbled Chairman, shuffling his feet looking, for the first time, ashamed.

"Why?" asked Alec, shifting closer to the suddenly desolate hamster-cat-man in front of him.

"Well," began Chairman, twisting his fingers nervously, making small jerking movements with his head, like a cat flicks it's ears when it feels threatened. "I . . . for a long time, I was all Magnus had and the only one who saw the real him. We're close, very close. And if he knew that I'm sort of . . . a bit human . . . well . . . that might change things you know?" Chairman was really working himself up now, his words running together almost incomprehensibly.

"And then you come along and suddenly I'm not the most important thing in the world to him. To start with I almost hated you, honestly, I was so jealous, even when you weren't there he would still talk about you. It was then most of all that I wanted to show him what I can do, just for a little bit of attention. But at least he was happy.

"But now you're fighting and it's awful there, I can't stand it, you're both so unhappy and I really don't know why you can't just kiss and make up. However I feel about you, he loves you, more than he's ever loved anyone before and it nearly tears him apart when he knows you're cross with him. It hurts me too actually, I like you, and I can't imagine my life without you in it anymore, despite the fact that you're stealing my owner." He gave a weak chuckle at that, and Alec couldn't help but be moved by the broken man before him. It was such a huge change from his almost arrogant introduction. Alec felt guilty, he hadn't thought about how Chairman Meow felt at all. Why would he?

"So," continued Chairman, his voice getting stronger, "I've got a plan to help you get back together, because you obviously can't do it on your own."

**Okay, I'm sort of imagining Chairman as Curt Wild from the movie Velvet Goldmine ( with his blonde hair, maybe slightly shorter ) with Magnus-style clothing. But please drop us a review and give us your vision of Chairman. That's why I didn't describe him, cause he can be such a different character for different people.**

**And now on to the amazing people who reviewed the last chapter, you brighten my day without moving from your chairs! Not that you're lazy . . . ( unlike me!) Love each and every one of you so much :)**

**DisturbingEmily - **I'm glad you don't think he's too pathetic, what about Chairman? Huh? I hope you approve . . . xxx

**mbrattoo - **Thank you ! They'll probably confront each other maybe next chapter or the one after :/ But it's getting on to the pages pretty quick, so you shouldn't have too long to wait :) Is it still interesting now?

**IssyRedbird - ** Well here it is! Do you like it? Let me know please :)

**PatriciaSage - **Well I always have been pretty long-winded and flowery in my descriptions! And you're right, they have tons of potential to be so happy :) Stay cool! xx

**Okay, that's you guys! And you all have to promise me to let me know what you think about this chapter ok? You're so awesome, word cannot describe how insanely amazing you are!**

**Hugs, kisses and smiles - **

**Haunted Harlequin xx **


	4. Understanding

**Just to explain to everyone, Chairman started out as a cat, but soaked up all the excess magic from Magnus and now can morph into human-form, a bit like the reverse of animagi in Harry Potter. And he can do other stuff too.**

**Ok, here we go . . . last chapter . . . **

**See you on the other side . . . **

Magnus sighed loudly, flopping onto his sofa. Would this day never end !

First the vampire who wanted him to fix, of all things, a bad toothache. Then, a pixie with a rather unsightly rash, a nymph who wanted a love-potion, which Magnus had refused her on ethical grounds (it appeared Alec was rubbing off on him more than he thought) and a faerie who needed a hex removed.

And still he wasn't finished. He'd had a last minute appointment made by a tearful female lycan who'd called late last night seeking his assistance with some affair of the heart. He'd been about to tell her to call back at a more reasonable hour but then she'd said the magic words that he'd never really been able to resist. _Help me._

And somewhere, deep, deep in his heart, he honestly did want to help, but he was just soo exhausted.

And he hadn't spoken to Alec since their fight yesterday. He'd wanted to call, but hadn't quite worked up the courage to actually dial the number yet. But Alec hadn't called him either, was he avoiding him?

The harsh ring of the doorbell interrupted his thought process entirely. Groaning, he pushed himself off of the sofa and trudged to his door, mashing the button which released the front door. He didn't need to check who it was, and even if it wasn't his newest client, it wasn't like he wouldn't be able to take down any unwelcome visitors was it?

He stayed standing by his open door, awaiting the lyanne's arrival, when who should come slinking through the opening but his absentee cat. "Where have you been then?" he asked, bending don to scratch behind the pale ears, feeling a little silly, Chairman was only a cat, it wasn't like he could answer was it?

Hearing footsteps, he straightened up, it wouldn't do to damage his reputation _too_ much. Normally when greeting customers, especially first - timers, Magnus liked to put on a bit of a show, intimidate them, just so's they'd have a bit of respect for his awesome powers. Not that it worked very often, but hey, it was fun when it did.

But this time, he really didn't have the heart to scare the broken figure climbing up the rickety staircase towards him. Even without his, as he liked to call them, _spidey senses, _he could tell that this woman was very distraught. He hadn't even seen her face or heard her speak one word, yet already his heart was bleeding for her.

"Come in," he said gently, stepping back to allow her past him. As she moved through the doorway, however, he caught a very familiar scent in the air, one he couldn't quite place. Puzzled, he filed it away for further examination when he had some time alone.

Shaking his head, he hurried to her side, guiding her to sit down on the sofa, dragging over a squashy armchair for himself to sit opposite, their knees touching. "Now, what can I do for you?" he inquired softly.

"I . . . I need your help," whispered the woman nervously, "it's my . . . husband. You see . . ."

"Wait, first tell me your name, and would you like anything to drink before we get too involved?" interrupted Magnus. If he was any judge, this would take some time, and he wanted to make his visitor feel as safe and at home as possible.

"Oh," she exclaimed, suddenly inexplicably flustered, "my name is . . . Alexis . . . and just water please?" the nervous slant to hr voice turning her voice turning everything that she'd said into a question.

"All right, as you know, my name is Magnus Bane, but please just call me Magnus," he replied soothingly, snapping into existence a tall, red plastic cup with a curly orange straw full of ice-cold water for Alexis and a frothy, marshmallow-topped hot chocolate for him. Settling down into the comfortable cushions, he readied himself for what would probably be a long and unhappy story.

"Tell me what's wrong. Take your time, there's no need to rush."

"Well . . . me and my husband have been fighting a lot recently. But I don't know how to make it better, and I love him so much . . . I can't lose him, I just can't."

"Start at the beginning. Tell me everything, and we shall see what we can do."

"We first met in a nightclub. He was popular and vivacious, completely in his element, and me? It was the first time I'd ever been in a place like that and I was quiet and a bit scared - staying close to my friends, y'know. Then, just as we were leaving, he appeared out of the blue, slipped me his number, and told me to call him.

"But I was nervous, and a little intimidated, so I didn't call, and when we next met, I could barely look him in the eye, I felt so guilty. At the time I wasn't sure if it was just a joke, I mean, why would someone like him be interested in someone like me? It made no sense.

"Nevertheless, he was persistent, even though he knew I'd had a crush on someone else for years, and eventually I realised that he was not only perfect on the outside, but in his heart as well. So we started seeing each other, and I fell for him more and more every day. But I was still afraid, afraid that he would see sense and leave me.

"I grew suspicious, when he wasn't with me I worried that he was with someone else. I was depressed and didn't want to go to parties with him, and when he went on his alone became even more desolate. But I never told him. I never told him that that was how I felt, I was terrified that he would think I was stupid and weak.

"I think he could tell that something was wrong with me, that I didn't trust him. But in truth, it's not him that I don't trust, it's me that I don't trust to be enough for him, to be good enough for him. And so we fight more and more and it's unbearable, it hurts so much but neither of us can stop it."

"What can I do? . . . Please?"

And at that, 'Alexis' fell silent, hanging 'her' head, trembling from heart-wrenching sobs. And slowly, the glamour fell away, revealing Alec Lightwood, crying on Magnus' sofa looking as lost as a little child too far from home.

Magnus was speechless. Truly speechless. Reaching up to his face, he was stunned to find tear tracks tracing their way down his cheeks.

And that was all it took.

Magnus flung himself across the small space separating him from the love of his life and gathered him up into his arms, clinging on to the boy for dear life, whispering nonsense words of love into his hair, the sound of his own tears joining Alec's in an agonizing melody of heartbreak and sorrow.

They stayed like that for what felt like hours until, exhausted by the flood of emotion, they fell asleep, each tangled in the other's arms.

They weren't out of the woods yet, but there was definitely light at the end of the tunnel.

Chairman Meow purred contentedly as he watched the sleeping couple. Springing lightly onto the sofa next to them, he circled quickly tree times, scratching the material into a more comfortable shape before settling down with his head resting against Magnus' leg. Sustaining a glamour strong enough to fool Magnus for so long had really drained him, let alone convincing Alec to go along with his plan in the first place, but it was worth it, at least now things could go back to normal, and his little family could have another shot at the happiness they deserved.

**The end . . . . unless you really want more. **

**I am open to writing a sequel, but only if you guys really want it, I've got a pretty hectic schedule coming up, and a couple of other multi-chaps yet to be completed.**

**I've really loved writing this, and thankyou so much to everyone who has read/reviewed it. **

**Here are my thanks for the people who reviewed the third chapter - **

**Bookworm24601 - ** No worries, I'm pleased you reviewed in the first place ! And I hope the A/N at the beginning cleared up any confusion :) Please let me know what you think of the ending and thankyou for reading xxx

**DisturbingEmily - ** Love the name, by the way. Well I hope I haven't disappointed you with the ending, and that you didn't feel you have to wait too long, I wanted to get this chapter right, so it took a bit longer than originally planned :) Thanks for reviewing all the way through, it means a lot to me that you've stuck with me xxx

**mbrattoo - ** Yeah, I was watching Velvet Goldmine and just thought yes! perfect! Thankyou so much for all your reviews, they're really great! I hope the ending lived up to your expectations! :) xxx

**IssyRedbird - **Awesome! I'm so pleased you like it! what do you think of the ending? Please let me know, I love getting feedback :) xxx

**Thankyou again, you're all incredible in my book! I hope you all find your own Magnus/Alec happy ending :) xxxxx**

**Goodbye for now!**

**Haunted Harlequin xx**


	5. Help Me!

Sorry, it's just me! But I just wanted to let you all know that I am indeed planning a sequel to Miscommunication, but am having real problems giving it a title :/ These boys are so special, and this story is particularly important to me, it's the first multi-chap that I've actually finished, that I really want it to be right. So, I have a deal for you, if you guys can help me come up with the perfect title, then I promise that I will post the first chapter before I go to bed tonight ( I'm on GMT time ).

So, something really basic about the story - it involves kidnap, angst, and Magnus finding out about Chairman Meow. And I'm completely undecided about the ending.

Thanks for anything you guys can do for me, I know you'll amaze me with your awesome suggestions :) And also, for every suggestion, I'll write an outtake of your choice at any point during the story, or for any of my stories so far, including Miscommunication, and publish them as a separate set of things.

So go on, you know you want to! ( Any plot ideas are also highly welcome! )

And whilst I'm here, these are the replies to the gorgeous people who reviewed the last chapter -

**IssyRedbird **Thankyou! I'm really glad you enjoyed it :) And thanks for reviewing all the way through, it means a lot to me!

**TheCatWithBrownEyes **Thanks for reviewing! I know, they are the sweetest couple ever! It's such a shame that there's hardly anything from them in CoFA, but what is there is, of course, sparkling. I hope you enjoy the sequel!

**DisturbingEmily **Yeah, I love sensitive!Magnus ! Thanks for your other review as well, I really appreciate any feedback you have, and I hope I hear what you think of the sequel soon :)

**mbrattoo **I can't remember which one it was now, but I can remember reading one of your stories recently and really loving it, so great job to you too! Thankyou so much for your other review, and promise that you'll let me know if you like the sequel? good... :)

**Bookworm24601 **Well his reaction isn't in the first chapter :/ but it is on it's way, I promise :) I just hope I can do it justice :S Thanks for your reviews!

**Anonymous Person **Well here's the ( promise of a ) sequel ! I'm thrilled that you enjoyed it, and thanks so much for taking the time to tell me :)

**Patricia Sage ( chap 3 ) **Thank you so much for reviewing! I just thought it was kinda obvious really :/ I suppose that's the great thing about this site, everyone has different ideas, but they're all brilliant in their own way :)

**Patricia Sage ( chap 4 ) **Chairman Meow is VERY clever. Never doubt how brilliant Chairman Meow is :) I really hope you love the sequel, and I'm really looking forward to hearing what you think of it ! :)

Okay then, that's all from me! Please let me know what you think I should call it / put in it, and I promise promise promise that I'll post it as soon as I have a title!

Hugs, cuddles and glitter,

Haunted Harlequin x


	6. Sequel!

THE SEQUEL IS UP! FOR ANYONE WHO HASN'T CAUGHT IT ALREADY, **NEVER LET ME GO **IS UP NOW AND HAS, SO FAR, A TOTAL OF 2 CHAPTERS!

Haunted Harlequin x


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